Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1887-09-29
THE HAUNTED CABIN.

THE HAUNTED CABIN.
In the latter part of the winter o
1879 | vas m of party OF eight
prospecting for mica along the lower
slopes OF the great Balsam range in
western North Carolina.
Trapping was an absorbing pastime,
and more than one OF our boys had
developed INTO quite exper. trappers,
but none more SO than myself. In
Iced, my success in this line had gain
I'd for me no little reputation.
One clear. cold day, with one OF the
m%ountaIneers as guide and assistant, !
eft the camp for the purpose OF set
Ting some traps in q different part OF
The range from any yet visited.
After a long and tedious tramp
through dense jungles, and many ard
nous climbs up precipitous slopes and
iown again, we found ourselves in the
middle OF the afternoon near the top
Of one of the Hottest peaks and agood
ten miles from camp.
We had net intended to so
much time the traps, but had be-
come SO closely occupied as to fail to
note how fast the day vas going.
saw an anxious look overspread
my companions face.
"Im afraid hits gwineter snow"
ne said, after a moments troubled ex-
animation OF the clouds overhead.
The words were scarcely out when
several flakes began to drift down
Nard.
Our situation was truly an u%nenvia-
Die one, on an exposed mountain.top
with an altitude of more than 5000
leet, a heavy snowstorm imminent, and
the nearest human habitation at least
six miles away.
Wehadgone about threeor four hun
dred yards further, the storm increas-
ing every moment, when suddenly we
came square upon q small, some-
what dilapidated log cabin in a kind OF
hollow cave at the very base OF atow-
up in the dense gloom of the balsams
that but for our almost stumbling up
against it it would have entirely es-
caped our notice.
With a feeling of devout thankful
ness Iplaced my hand upon the some
what shaky door for the purpose OF
pushing it open to enter, when to my
intense astonishment. my companion
drew back with a frightened cry.
"For Gods sake doan go in thar"
he entreated in hoarse, thick tones
Hits q haunted place, an thar's a
curse a-hangIn' over it ever sence Jube
| Higgins got that bad tux with Their
drink ez ter murder his wife an babyl
Jube nissef tux ter Their mounting
an never a heard of no mo- an
t%hesperit O. Their oman an'ther baby's
forever a-hanting' O. Their place an
a erwin out. I've heard ther voices
many II time myself a comm down
ther mounting"
In vain | tried to demonstrate with
him. Like all the mountaineers, I
found him possessed OF no small
amount of superstition.
"Nothin' good'll come o. hit, / tell
vel" he cried. almost frantically.
Zone O. t'other o. us, mebbe both. III
hev ter so eff we enter that cursid
place"
He finally allowed himself 70 be ledin-
to the cabin, although | could plain
ly see his superstitious fears were by
no lean alIayed.
1t was a double log cabin with a
somewhat larger front room and a
much smaller back one divided by a
thin partition. Overhead in the
front room there was a loft reached
by a ladder in the back room.
OF this much took motel by the dim
light then pervading the place. |
would have continued my investiga-
tons but for the intense darkness
that had so suddenly settled down
upon us. caused | well knew by the
increase in the storm. By means OF
the leaves and dried twigs that had
collected near one of the windows,
and by tearing up the old ladder,
which we found to be quite rotten,
we soon had a fire kindledi in the broad
fireplace, for We had taken the pre-.
caution to provide ourselves with
matches.
My mountaineer kept close beside
me during all these operations. In.
deed, he did not once allow me to get
beyond the reach OF his hand.
i laughed to myself no little over
his somewhat ludicrous appearance
and openly rallied him several times
in regard to his foolish fears and sup
erstitions. But a moment later /
turned almost faint with horror as
the fire, blazing up, showed me a pool
of blood directly beside mel
1t was ci considerable size and
freshly spilled. A cold SILVER passed
over Inc, and | felt my heart sink, if
not literally down to my boots, then
very near to them, in my imagination.
As | was sitting directly between
tho horrible spot and my companion
he did not see it, and with. a feeling OF
devout thankfulness l managed, with
out exciting his suspicious, to cover
it up with a portion of the leaves we
had piled nea the hearth.
As we were disPatching the remains
of our dinner my companion, not
without considerable nervousness,
however, and O white, scared face
with lips that scarcely pronounced
the words above a whisper, related to
me in full horrible story of the drink
maddened man who in a moment of
frenzy had murdered his loving wife
and innocent little baby.
By this time the night had fairly
settled down upon us, and the dark
ness, save where the dim glow OF the
fire rested, was impenetrable. The
thick shadows enveloped us even
where we sat, for, the fuel being poor,
we had continually to coax our fire
to burn, and were often without even
a pretence of a blaze.
Suddenly-iust as my companion
was describing to me theterrible head
long rush with which the frenzied Hig-
gins had sprung upon his crouching
wife-there came piercing through the
thick wall Of darkness behind us the
startlingly distinct sound of q heavy
body rushing through space, and the
instant after the same sound repeat
ed, each in turn followed by a dull
thud and her the noiee OF heavy, I'M
certain footsteps.
With a hoarse cry my companion
sprang suddenly upward, but iell
again to his knees. While clasping his
arms convulsiveiy, yet tightly, about
my body, he fixed his eyes npon me
in one long, appealing. despairing
gaze.
had just placed my hand upon my
shoulder to reassure him, and was
opening my lips to speak when there
came a terrific crash, followed by to-
tai darkness, while something cold
and wet was dashed into our faces